


8,759

by dragonwings948



Series: A Night on Darillium [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Sharing a Bed, that's...pretty much it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:47:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22180531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: River wakes up with the Doctor on the first "morning" of their time on Darillium.
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/River Song
Series: A Night on Darillium [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563853
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	8,759

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, I told you there'd be new stuff!! This "chapter" was not in the original story; I basically expanded on the beginning of the following story because I wanted more fluff. As always. XD

River woke up twice throughout her sleep cycle. 

The first time, she wondered why she felt so cramped and warm as her muddled mind regained consciousness. She shifted, tried to stretch, but found she was impeded by something--or rather, some _ one.  _

She breathed in deeply and his distinct scent immediately triggered her memory. Darillium seemed like only a fanciful dream, and yet here she was, in the Doctor’s arms still. 

Burying her face in his chest, she squeezed him tightly. His arms returned the gentle pressure. And in a few moments, River fell asleep again. 

The second time, she was being moved. Rather than curled up in the Doctor’s lap, she was lying on her back, and the Doctor was retreating to the other side of the bed. 

A shiver ran through her body from the lack of warmth. 

“Doctor,” she mumbled, still blinking sleep from her eyes. 

In the middle of settling underneath the blanket, his eyes went wide as he locked gazes with her. “Go back to sleep, River,” he said gently. 

River tried to form a coherent thought, but she wasn’t quite awake enough. All she knew was that she still wanted to be in his arms, to be sure that he was still there. She reached out for him. 

The Doctor sighed. “I didn’t want you to be cramped when you woke up,” he explained. “Falling asleep in someone’s lap isn’t exactly the most comfortable.” 

River wanted to argue, but was only able to manage a vague grunt of disapproval. The Doctor rolled his eyes. He scooched marginally closer. “I’ll be here when you wake up,” he said, so quietly that it was like he was sharing a secret. He took her hand and guided it to his chest, bringing to mind memories from earlier that evening on the balcony. “I promise.” 

Peace radiated through her at the feel of his heartbeats. Once more, River fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. 

The next time River opened her eyes, she finally felt properly rested. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept so comfortably, free of nightmares, able to wake up as lazily as she wanted to. 

She found herself halfway splayed across the Doctor’s chest, her head resting just over one of his hearts. She closed her eyes once more, curled into him, and smiled, wanting to prolong this as long as she could. She still couldn’t wrap her head around twenty-four years; she was so used to making every second with the Doctor count because she didn’t know how long they had. Even in situations like this, where they had been granted at least a little time, the Doctor never sat for long. He had never stayed all night, just holding her. This was different. A very  _ good  _ different. 

“Finally,” the Doctor muttered. “What is it about humans and their sleep?” 

River hummed. “I’m not all human,” she reminded him. 

“Apparently enough to sleep all your time away.” 

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. His hands were behind his head, propping it up so he could meet her gaze. Despite his teasing, his eyes were soft, like he was just as glad to find her here with him. 

River’s smile grew. “Good morning, my love.” 

His smile widened in response. Mirth shone in his eyes. “I hope that doesn’t mean you’re getting bored. We still have a long way to go before morning.” 

The thought made her breath catch. This was the first of hundreds--no,  _ thousands-- _ of times she would wake up with him. She could remember all the times before, with only a moment to orient herself before the dreaded words would be uttered:  _ Back to Stormcage, River,  _ or something of the like. No ‘good morning’s. No promises. Just one precious moment she had to live on for weeks, months, years before she saw him again. 

When she resurfaced from her memories she found the Doctor staring at her with inquisitive eyes, like he was trying to work something out. “What?” she asked.

“Was that a good reaction or a bad one?” 

River huffed a gentle laugh, lifting a hand so she could stroke her fingers through his hair. “Definitely a good one.”

But the Doctor frowned. “Your eyes looked sad.” 

River’s hand stilled. She didn’t want to blame him; really, none of it was his fault, and he was more than making up for it with all this time she could never have even dreamed of. 

_ Hide the damage. Pretend it doesn’t hurt.  _ It was what she had always done. 

But everything was different now. The Doctor had stated the expression in her eyes like a question begging to be answered. He wanted to know, to understand her. They had been married for who knew how long, but they were only just beginning to trust each other completely. 

The Doctor had trusted her enough to unburden his grief about Clara. He deserved to know some of her heart, too. 

“I was thinking about you--the younger you. We spent so many nights together, but you never stayed.” She sighed. “Thinking back, it seems like we only got a few seconds together before something would come up. You’d have to take me back to prison, or mum and dad would call you…” 

“...we’d run into an alien trying to destroy the time vortex,” the Doctor continued with the hint of a smile on his lips. 

“Yes,” River agreed with a laugh. “And I loved every minute of our adventures, but…” She paused, struggling to put her feelings into words. “It was moments like these that I always missed.” 

The Doctor’s expression turned thoughtful. He let his head fall back onto his pillow and stared at the ceiling. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly after a moment. “You deserved more than who I was back then.” 

“That’s not it,” River insisted. “I loved who you were--and who you are now. It’s just so...different. Since we’ve been on Darillium I keep feeling like I’m dreaming, about to wake up and find myself in Stormcage again.” 

The Doctor nodded in understanding. “Eight thousand, seven hundred, and sixty,” he murmured after a moment. “Well, fifty-nine,” he corrected himself. 

River frowned at him. “If you’re trying to sing ‘Seasons of Love’ then you’ve misquoted the number.” 

He craned his neck to look up at her, expression matter-of-fact. “Eight thousand, seven hundred, and fifty-nine more mornings. In terms of Earth days, at least.” He rested his arm on her back. “Is that enough to make up for the moments you missed?” 

River inched forward, unable to resist submerging her other hand into his salt-and-pepper curls as well. She hovered over him, their noses almost brushing, and smiled. “Only if you’re here for every single one of them.” 

If River didn’t know any better, she’d describe the Doctor’s smile as besotted. He brushed her hair back from her cheek, his fingertips lightly caressing her skin. “You can count on it.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since I read The Legends of River Song, I take every opportunity that I can for River to exploit her vast musical knowledge (because I was a music major and I love that extended canon hints at River actually being really knowledgeable in that area). Hence her making a reference to Seasons of Love XD If that passed right over your head, I'm sorry, I'm a nerd. What can I say.


End file.
